newel

newel
/nooh"euhl, nyooh"-/, n.
1. See newel post.
2. a central pillar or upright from which the steps of a winding stair radiate.
3. (on an escalator) the horizontal section of railing at the upper or lower end.
[1325-75; earlier nuel, ME nowel < MF no(u)el kernel, newel < LL *nucale, n. use of neut. of nucalis of a nut, nutlike, equiv. to L nuc- (s. of nux) nut + -alis -AL1]

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also called  Newel-post,  

      upright post rising at the foot of a stairway, at its landings, or at its top. These posts usually serve as anchors for handrails. Often the stringboards, which cover and connect the ends of the steps, are framed into the newels. Made of the same substance as the stairway itself—wood, stone, or metal—the newel may be simple and functional, as in most contemporary examples, or highly ornamental, as in the Elizabethan or Jacobean styles.

      Originally, a newel was the central post of a winding or circular stairway. If such a stairway has no central post, it is said to be of hollow-newel construction. In Gothic architecture a post used to support a vaulted-arch roof was sometimes called a newel.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Newel — New el (n[=u] [e^]l), n. [OF. nual, F. noyau sone, of fruit, noyau d escaler newel, fr. L. nucalis like a nut, fr. nux, nucis, nut. Cf. {Nowel} the inner wall of a mold, {Nucleus}.] (Arch.) The upright post about which the steps of a circular… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • newel — (n.) mid 14c., pillar from which steps of a winding staircase radiate, from O.Fr. noel, novel knob, newel, kernel, stone (Mod.Fr. noyau), from V.L. *nodellus little knot, dim. of L. nodulus, dim. of nodus knot (see NET (Cf. net) (n.)). Klein s… …   Etymology dictionary

  • newel — ► NOUN 1) the central supporting pillar of a spiral or winding staircase. 2) (also newel post) the top or bottom supporting post of a stair rail. ORIGIN Old French nouel knob , from Latin nodus knot …   English terms dictionary

  • newel — [no͞o′əl, nyo͞o′əl] n. [ME nowelle < OFr nuel, a nut, fruit pit < LL nucalis, like a nut < L nux (gen. nucis), NUT] 1. the central upright pillar around which the steps of a winding staircase turn 2. the post at the top or bottom of a… …   English World dictionary

  • Newel — New el (n[=u] [e^]l), n. [From {New}. Cf. {Novel}.] A novelty; a new thing. [Obs.] Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Newel — Newel, 1) Kreis im russischen Gouvernement Witebsk (Westrußland), von der Drissa u. vielen Seen bewässert; hat viel Waldung u. 65,000 Ew.; 2) Hauptstadt darin, an der Emenka u. am See Newelskoi; hat 6 Kirchen verschiedener Confessionen, eine… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Newel — Newel, Kreisstadt im russ. Gouv. Witebsk, am See N., mit 4 Kirchen und (1897) 9988 Einw. (meist Juden) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Néwel — Néwel, Kreisstadt im russ. Gouv. Witebsk, am See N., 9988 E., russ. Mönchskloster, Synagoge …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Newel — Wappen Deutschlandkarte …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Newel — For other uses, see Newel (disambiguation). A newel, also called a central pole, is an upright post that supports the handrail of a stair banister.[1][2][3] In stairs having straight flights it is the principal post at the foot of the staircase,… …   Wikipedia

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